Marcela wins Muay Thai match by landslide

Thanyapura’s very own Muay Thai champion stepped into the ring on Sunday night and took her total wins to an impressive 36 out of 46 fights.

Marcela Soto, who uses the name Baitong for Muay Thai, is from Costa Rica and has dedicated the past ten years to the sport, competing in several prestigious fights including the Queen’s Cup, the King’s Cup, the World Championship in Bangkok and she has fought for a World Title in Las Vegas.

On the weekend, Marcela jumped into the ring at Bangla Boxing Stadium for a rematch with former Thai champion Nongbeat, who trains in Phuket. Although she had some pre-fight nerves, Marcela came out on top and won the match.

She said: “I was a little bit nervous at the beginning but after I felt like myself again and I am really happy. After I won I was relieved and I had the feeling again of wanting to fight and wanting to win.

“The first fight we had together a few years ago was really close but this one I won by a lot of points, so it was a really good fight.

“It was really exciting because it was my first fight since I started working here so I was fighting for Thanyapura.”

Marcela joined the Thanyapura team last month and is working as a Nutritionist here, as well as running the Muay Thai ladies fitness classes. She is dedicated to her sport and trains before and after work to succeed.

She added: “Now I have two days off, after my fight, and tomorrow I may start jogging or swimming to help my muscles recover. Then I will start to train again twice a day.

“I do a lot of Muay Thai training, which is running and then kicking the bag and sparring and more. Sometimes I do a little bit of weights and some speed running, which can get hard but if you are motivated then you enjoy it.

“The training can also get quite tough in your mind but it is worth it. At the end of the day, the fight makes it worthwhile.”

Marcela will intensify her training up in preparation for a big fight next month at the Queen’s Cup in Bangkok.

She said: “I have one fight on the 28th July and I might fight one more time in Patong before the 12th August because on that day I have the Queen’s Cup, which is in Bangkok. I am looking forward to that – it is a big fight.

“In the Muay Thai world, and especially here in Thailand, the Queen’s Cup is a really important date for female fighters. It is a really big thing to happen.